Whispers – Daily Mass Quotes begins after this Intro.
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Elijah’s Whisper – My Whisper
Then the LORD said (to Elijah), “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by.” A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD – but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake – but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire – but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, “Elijah, why are you here?” 1 Kings 19:11-13
Why are YOU here, beloved?
Was it to discover magnificent colors? Was it to find colorful music or awesome videos? Was it just curiosity? Was it accidental? Were you really looking for God, for Hope, for true LOVE somewhere in this menagerie we call the web?
Or were you just hiding in a cave, waiting on the Lord to Whisper in your ear – a Word – LIFE! Life, it’s in You! And YOU are beautiful in the Eyes of God, no matter what the world may say or think.
You are Loved!!
Every day the Lord whispers in our ears – Words of HOPE, Words of LOVE, and maybe not even words – just His JOY in our hearts.
Let’s follow the Scriptures of our daily Mass and see if we can catch those Words – simple but beautiful – Whispers to the Wind . . .
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10-31-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 31, 2020
St. Paul wrote, “To me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.” Phil_1:18B-26
“I am caught between the two!” Paul really loved the Lord. And he had a strong affection toward all the Churches he founded, as well. Some were a little off kilter. Some were downright off on the wrong track. But He really loved these Philippians. You can just tell it by this letter.
And yet, as we all age and come to realize, when this world of ours is trying to reinvent the same wheels that we are well over-familiar with, and are often wrong in their direction, we just get tired of it all. And death and passing on to something better is more and more of an aspiration. An aspiration to finally, truly be face-to-face with Jesus. But Paul knew that it wasn’t something that was in his hands. Death was and always will be in God’s hands for us. So we purge on. And in our purging, we find our Philippians and our Galatians. And we teach and we share and we love all the same.
Two months ago I had an episode with almost passing out while at Mass in the morning. It led to doctors visits, sonograms and different hypotheses of what it might have been. And one of those hypothetical diagnoses was a hernia of mine that’s been getting worse for many months.
So, after setting an appointment for surgery, I then had another episode which led to another diagnosis and another surgical process to remove a kidney stone. Unfortunately this postponed my hernia surgery.
But somewhere in the middle of all this, I had a dream that I was going to die in the middle of that hernia surgery. Well the surgery was rescheduled and almost happened yesterday. And I’d love to say that it was a roaring success. But there I was in the middle of my doctor’s probing around somewhere underneath my skin, and before the hernia was actually repaired, this old body of mine decided that it was time, it had had enough. My blood pressure disappeared and … (No, I didn’t see God – Guess I wasn’t out long enough to catch the bright light and the tunnel), but my very astute anesthesiologist quickly decided to call it quits. He killed my dream, but saved my life!
I was caught between an anxious hope to see my Lord and yet God’s will was apparently that I’m not quite done here yet. Interestingly, the anesthesiologist knew me from Church, but unfortunately in all that hubbub, I was not able to clearly get his name and never actually saw his face with all the covid masking. And searching the internet for anesthesiologists in Columbia today, was like looking for a needle in a haystack. So, I’ll just take his presence as being my guardian angel, sent by God to save the day. Which he did!
And in the end… guess I’ll just have to reschedule another surgery. But you know what they say – “Third time’s a charm!” And guess I’ll be around for you, beloved, just a little bit longer. Praise be to God!
10-30-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 30, 2020
I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you,
praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, . . .
This is my prayer:
that your love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception,
to discern what is of value,
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.
Phil_1:1-11
God’s blessings, beloved!
And all my love!
Was browsing through some of my fav. music pieces and ran across this again. Love it. Think you will to . . .
10-29-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 29, 2020
St. Paul wrote, Brothers and sisters: Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil. . . .
So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the Gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. Eph_6:10-20
Pray, beloved, with all your might, for the day of deliverance or the day of reckoning is upon us. We are at the fork between the precipice or the bridge. Choose LIFE. Choose Truth. For forked is the tongue of the lifeless. And rampant is the deceit of the evil one.
Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Protect us in our hour of need. And forgive us for forsaking you and our Lord, Jesus. We need you now! Come Holy Spirit. Enkindle in us the fire of your Spirit! In Jesus’ Name we pray.
10-28-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 28, 2020
(Ss. Simon and Jude, Apostles)
Jesus called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Lk_6:12-16
When we look closely at this collection of Jesus’ apostles, we see not only the huge diversity in their personalities and characters, but we also see a unity among them – as all being part of God’s creation.
Kind of – just like us.
Maybe that’s why God, why Jesus chose them – to be examples for us of unity within diversity.
Of course we also remember that, just like those symbolic 12-sons of Jacob, the 12-Tribes of Israel, these 12-Apostles represented emissaries of God’s Salvation. But this time, not just for the Israelites, for ALL of God’s Creation.
And Jesus commissioned the Apostles with His blessing to lead the world, not to a “Promised Land,” but to a Promised Kingdom – that Kingdom of God that Jesus spoke of so often.
And they would be led, not to a temporary, physical residence, but to a permanent and eternal, spiritual dwelling, right there within every one of us – diverse as we may be, and yet united in Christ.
This is Christ’s Church.
And we are still led by His emissaries, our Bishops, priests, deacons, religious communities and the laity, whose voices, as the Psalmist says, “are heard to the ends of the earth.”
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Apostles, Simon the Zealot and Judas of James. These two, lesser-known Apostles, equally proclaimed the love of Jesus to the world.
Simon, who was known for his zealous defense of the Jewish Faith, in opposition to their Roman oppressors, would probably have had a hard time with people like Zacchaeus and Matthew, the ‘Tax Collectors.’ And yet, Christ’s love bound them, even in their differences.
For Jude, who was also known as Thadaeus, or Labbaeus, it took centuries for him to be recognized as someone other than the traitor – Judas Iscariot.
It was through several different mystical visions, that Jude, as we now know this Saint today, was called by God to be recognized as the “Saint of the impossible,” “The Saint of lost causes” and “The Saint of Hope.”
Today the name Jude is honored as the name of a Childhood Cancer Center in Memphis, TN, a Shrine in Chicago, an organization called the League of St. Jude (whose prayer we might have hanging in our cars for safe travel), and as the Patron of many Churches around the world.
He and St. Simon are reported to have traveled throughout Mesopotamia, Libya and Persia – preaching Christ’s love and building His Church.
You see, beloved, all the Apostles, and especially our Saints Simon and Jude today, are just a reminder to us that in all their differences, holiness does not depend on human merit, or culture, personality, effort, or achievement.
Holiness is entirely God’s gift to His creation.
For God doesn’t need zealots to bring about His Kingdom by force. And like all the saints, Jude is only the Saint of the impossible, because of our Faith in God: for only God can impart His Divine life, His boundless Divinity, His Holiness into human beings.
And it’s in that belief, that we are boundlessly saved and boundlessly united to God and to one another!
10-27-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 27, 2020
Brothers and sisters: Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. . . . Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the Church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. Eph_5:21-33
“Yeah but, yeah but what about…” NO “yeah buts” brothers. St. Paul said it. Jesus did it! Now we’re to live it. We are not to look at what he said to them, but just DO as he said to us. Love her as Christ loves His Church. Despite the blemishes, despite the errors, despite our amnesia, Jesus loves us all, as His own body. And so we are to do with our blessed and beautiful and beloved wives. When we subordinate ourselves to Christ He will illuminate and sanctify her, and truly unify us as One (husband and wife) with Himself.
Blessed be God forever!
10-26-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 26, 2020
Brothers and sisters: Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. . . . Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure or greedy person, that is, an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. Eph_4:32–5:8
. . . Well! That certainly gives us all something to work on, doesn’t it, myself included? In a world filled with immorality, impurity, greed and idolatry, it takes quite the saint to squeak out of being tainted by any of it. Just go the grocery store for some milk and you won’t, even in such a “family friendly” environment, find much freedom from the likes of those evils. Or turn on the TV or radio. Or go to a football game or restaurant.
But the truth is, we CAN work on the first part of Paul’s statement a little easier than being the purest of saints. We can learn to love one another, to forgive one another and to just be the best us we can. I don’t think God will turn us away if we do our best at that!
(But of course, who am I to say! Now we know the goals. Can’t say we weren’t warned!)
10-25-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 25, 2020
30th Sunday Ordinary Time, A
Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ” Mt_22:34-40
That’s your *#%@ boss (Who hasn’t a clue as to what management of other people really means). That’s your unforgiving landlord (who can’t even imagine what life is like without a job). That’s your selfish coworker (who took the job you were working towards for so many years). That’s your best friend (who’s actually going to vote for that xxx – God bless us all!). That’s the blank (who’s driving 3-inches from my tail).
They’re all our neighbors. And God please help us to love them as we love ourselves. For we ourselves are probably one of those kind of neighbors to somebody else. Nobody’s perfect, but God and LOVE! And both are exactly what we’re aiming for.
10-24-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 24, 2020
(St. Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop)
Jesus told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’” Lk_13:1-9
Nothing Jesus ever said was without reason and much deeper meaning. And this parable was no exception.
The people were complaining about terrible atrocities that happened to apparently innocent people. And they wondered if it was some punishment of God for something they did.
Jesus reminded them that they, that we are all sinners, but sometimes stuff happens. And it’s not stuff that we can blame on them or on God. Yet, in the meantime, we must still be very careful not to sin, to repent of our sins and to love everyone. That is our call.
If, like the fruitless fig tree we feel as though we have a life of fruitlessness, we still must remember that God has given us this life for a reason. And our particular reason most likely has a much deeper meaning as well. Maybe it’s time then to cultivate ourselves. Use those talents, love and be loved, and always remember the love that God has shown us through the example of Jesus! We are His fruit for the world!
10-23-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 23, 2020
(St. John of Capistrano, Priest)
St. Paul wrote, “Brothers and sisters: I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace…” Eph_4:1-6
Jesus, continuing His teaching of the common folks AND to the Pharisees/Scribes and Sadducees, said, “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” Lk_12:54-59
Oh, if we can only learn this in today’s culture. We’re so quick to throw law suits on one another and spend years trying to settle something that could have been done without bothering the court, who really has more important things to deal with, rather than just talking with one another! And in the end, who pays – actually you both do! Two-thousand years later Jesus is still saying the same thing to us, beloved. With all our technological advances in communication, we communicate less today than we did 50-years ago. And then throw COVID and masks on top of it! Arrrrgh!
LOVE, Love, looooove!
(all we need is love)
10-22-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 22, 2020
(St. John Paul II, Pope)
“Brothers and sisters: I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,” Eph_3:14-21
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” Lk_12:49-53
Imagine if some total stranger came up to you and said that the “Color of the year” is GREEN, and if you believe in “Green,” all your troubles will disappear.
Now you would have a choice. You could argue that you really like purple better than green, and that you think that the “Color of the year” should be purple, because all of your life you loved purple.
Or, on the other hand, you could choose to Believe, to trust in that stranger, and to hope for eternal bliss. Belief being your choice, then in rushing back home to share this great new discovery, you serendipitously observe that every traffic light on your way – is Green! Which heightens your excitement all the more.
Now, when you enter your house to spread this terrific news to the members of your family, How do you think they will respond to your new-found euphoria? And when they are offered the same mental choice of Green, or their purple, or orange, or blue, or whatever, and decide not to choose green, and tell you that you’re just crazy to believe in green, what will your next response be?
Will you just give up on the whole idea?
Or will you settle with the contention, the division that this whole thing may have caused in your beloved family?
_______________
The Jewish people, you see, had a long history of believing in the critical importance of following every Letter of God’s Law. They followed it to the point of it actually debilitating them, and even contradicting itself, because of what they did to it; like where did stoning sinners to death ever fit in with “Thou shalt not kill?”
And they also had a history of thinking that they were so ‘super special’, that everyone else who was not a Jew, or even, not a Holy Jew, resided somewhere on some lower scale of life-form.
And yet, Jesus, an upstanding Jew Himself, associated Himself with many of those “lower lives.” He healed them, He blessed them, and you might even say – He LOVED them!
As a matter of fact, Jesus DID love them!
He loved them so intensely that, the Scriptures tell us, He was on FIRE in love with them. So on Fire in Love, that He was willing to die for them. And He was actually anxious to die for them in order to spread that wildfire of Love to the world.
You see, Jesus Himself was a Sign of Contradiction to the Jews. He was a man, and yet He proclaimed Himself God. He was a Jew, and yet He hung out with the Gentiles (all the way up
to the Cross). He proclaimed Love and Joy and Life, and yet, He warned of hatred, persecution, division and death for those who followed Him.
There is an old philosophy, that most of the newer generations have never heard of, or if they did, they quickly forgot, and it is called: Delayed Gratification.
Delayed gratification says, that if we really want something passionately enough, rather than just immediately getting it, along with a 10-year debt, we would actually be much happier, if we saved and suffered a little without it – for 2-years, in order to purchase it outright, without the debt.
Jesus tells us that this is what achieving the Kingdom of God is like. It may cost us a little in this mortal life. We may lose friends, or family, or even a little sleep because of it. We may even lose our very lives. But the Heavenly Gratification we will gain will be greater than we can – even – imagine – possible.
And to help us bear it all, in THIS life, we base every thought, every action of ours on LOVE, even when they hate us! The love of Jesus and one another, with the help of the Holy Spirit, will carry us through it all.
Maybe all the lights on our journey won’t be Green, but that most important Last One – WILL!
And THAT we believe!
10-21-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 21, 2020
Jesus concluded a parable with the moral: “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” Lk_12:39-48
Which begs the question, beloved, “With what have WE been entrusted?” If we did not know that sugar is not good for us and we ate it unreservedly, do we think that our body would not punish us as much as if we did know that it was bad for us and ate it anyway? And if we didn’t know that stealing is morally wrong and hurtful, would we expect to be punished any less for stealing than if we did know that we shouldn’t steal, yet did it anyway?
Well, we have been entrusted with knowing right from wrong, and good from bad. And if we choose to do the wrong and the bad anyway, we WILL be held more accountable for our bad choice. That doesn’t make the one who didn’t know any less liable for punishment. But in the end WE are the ones who should have informed the unknowledgeable about the appropriate rules and hazards of life before they unknowingly made the wrong choice. We ARE our brother’s keepers! And that’s a big responsibility! But somebody has got to do it. And thanks be to God, He chose you and I! And thanks be to Jesus for showing us the Way!
10-20-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 20, 2020
(St. Paul of the Cross, Priest)
Jesus said, “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.” Lk_12:35-38
How vigilant can we remain, beloved, in the midst of bombs exploding all around us? Viruses and masks, social distancing and the “state” controlling what we say and don’t say in our Mass, the total annihilation of personal social community, all designed to blast love in the heart. Can we remain vigilant in the midst of the isolation which the world has created all around us? If you don’t believe that it’s all simply a seed of the devil to test our resolve to remain vigilant, then you haven’t got a clue as to the true spiritual battle we are in the midst of.
Jesus died once for all – that’s for all time and for all people. And nothing the devil can do can separate us from His love. And when His love dwells within us, beloved, it dwells in all whom we love as well. That’s YOU and me! Stay vigilant! And when He returns to gather us all to His bosom – we will be right there with Him. Believe, Love, and stay vigilant!
10-19-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 19, 2020
(Ss. John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests,
and Companions, Martyrs)
I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.” Lk_12:13-21
We save for our kid’s future educations. We save for that new car or computer. We save for our retirements. We plan for emergency medical situations. We purchase plots for our own deaths. But how are we saving for our eternal life? Will it be with God or without? Does it matter to us – “what matters to God”?
Jesus is reminding us today to always keep the longer range goal in perspective. And that longest range goal is, or at least should be, for all of us – heaven! Today I put 10 of my friends’ needs in my prayers. KaChing. Today I said a rosary and the Morning Office. KaChing. Today I offered a smile to a sad and tired cashier. KaChing. These are some of our savings for the most important goal of our lives. Save up for God, beloved. And the payback will be “Eternal!”
10-18-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 18, 2020
(29th Sunday Ordinary Time, A)
In a war of words, the Pharisees constantly tried to entrap Jesus by asking contradictory questions. (You can just picture them burning the midnight oil trying to come up with these absurd questions). Today’s question related to the legitimacy of the Jews paying the Roman taxes. Jesus responded with a Roman coin in hand, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” They replied, “Caesar’s.” At that he said to them, “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” Mt_22:15-21
Without a second thought Jesus responded exactly how they never expected. We are to fully respect even our oppressors, but we are not to ever disrespect our God. We are the ones who belong to God and we pay God back with our very lives.
And so, we might apply the same type of question to our voting situation this year. Maybe all the politicians are crooked, wrong and evil in some way or another. But we still have to pare out the worst of the worst and the best of the best to make our choice. Maybe we don’t like either candidate. But not voting should not be our option. Then ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?” “Where will this country be in 4-years if so and so was elected?” Would it be worse than where we are right now, or could it be better? Will the morals of this country improve or get worse? Which candidate has a better outlook on life – from conception to natural death? Which candidate has more experience in financial and international politics? Which candidate will secure our safety and which might invoke more internal strife than we already have? And then go vote. And then pray. Our future is in God’s hands. And whichever way the election goes, we will still be God’s emissaries, whether the world agrees with God and us or not. Blessed be the Lord! And God bless America!!!
10-17-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 17, 2020
(St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr)
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe… Eph_1:15-23
Jesus said, “When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.” Lk_12:8-12
Today, beloved, was day 2 and 1/2 after I had a kidney stone removed from inside of me. It was causing an unbearable pain in my back and something had to be done about it. So for a week after my pain-induced ER visit, I went about drinking gallons of water to try to flush my system from an infection that was there as well. In that first visit the docs inserted what they called a “stent” to re-allow the flow of backed up urine to escape.
The out-patient, stone removal procedure was completed on Tuesday, after which I had to continue on my water flushing regime. And today, the second stent that was installed after the stone was extracted, also had to be removed. But this time, I was in charge of removing it. And that stent would just not move. I pulled and pulled and pulled (for hours) on the little thread with no result. Little did I know that it wasn’t just a few inch long tube that I was trying to extract through my sensitive, private part, but a foot long piece of tubing with curly ends, attached to the end of a foot long piece of thread.
The eyes of my heart were searching for God, for Jesus, for the Holy Spirit through the whole ordeal. And, as He always does when I pray in confidence for His help, God helped it to finally come out! Praise be to our God!!! And thanks to the Holy Spirit for directing me to good old Google for the suggestion of removing it while simultaneously taking a nice hot shower. It worked!
Whenever you’re in a situation, beloved, that seems just impossible to resolve, remember to open the eyes and ears of your heart and listen for the Holy Spirit’s prompting. He will never fail you!
YES, God is good,
all the time!
10-16-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 16, 2020
(St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin)
Brothers and sisters: In Christ we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. Eph_1:11-14
Jesus said, “There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.” Lk_12:1-7
Jesus reminds His disciples and us today of our transparency in the eyes of God our Father. There simply are no secrets there. There is no hiding from God. And if we think or do something for which we fear retribution from God, we have to rethink that thought or action before it ever comes about, because it’s not God we need to fear, but the devil himself.
It’s the devil who will use every unrighteous thought, or word, or deed of ours to direct us right down that straight and wide path to hell. That is why we include that little request, actually, that big request, at the very end of the Lord’s Prayer, that goes: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
You see, beloved, it’s not the Lord who leads us into temptation, but it IS His Gift to us of Free Will, that allows us the choice. We can use that Gift to make ourselves slaves of temptation. Or, we can use it to freely choose to rely on the strength of the Holy Spirit to protect us from succumbing to those temptations.
It’s our choice.
And what a wonderful choice it is! Because just having that choice can bring us closer to God, if we use it wisely.
Of course we all, well know, what those temptations are. And every one of us has our own special favorites: For example, if we have a problem with the overindulgence of food, then every bakery shop we pass will be another temptation. So we can either find an alternative route to our destination, or we can learn how to close our eyes and cover our noses whenever something scrumptuous comes into view.
And if we have a problem with anger, and every little thing that contradicts our personal preferences makes us angry, then, we can learn how to pray for patience, compassion and flexibility, or we can find new, positive outlets for our pent-up frustrations with a world gone wildly mad.
And if we have a problem with pride, we can learn how to turn our self-centeredness into pride of our neighbors, by building them up instead of tearing them down.
The Holy Spirit will give us all the Wisdom and the Creativity we need to know exactly how to change our weaknesses to temptation into strengths for God’s glory!
Jesus tells us today, that God knows, in intimate detail, every hair, every cell, every thought that sparks in our synapses. What better place, then, to discover exactly who we are and how we can become precisely what God wants us to be, than to turn to Him for the answer.
For He has specifically chosen us to be His very own!
And no temptation can ever surpass His Love for us.
10-15-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 15, 2020
(St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila), Virgin and Doctor of the Church)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. Eph_1:1-10
This is one of those passages you have to read over and over again, to let soak in and immerse your whole being with its beauty. Enjoy!
In Christ’s love always, beloved.
And in our ‘oneness.’
10-14-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 14, 2020
(St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr)
St. Paul wrote, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.” Gal_5:18-25
You know, beloved, sometimes things that are well worth it come with a cost. At what cost are we willing to gain eternal life? Following Jesus isn’t always free. We may have to give up some things we enjoy, like sin. Or maybe even some of our bodily desires. Ever try giving up food for a period? Maybe your favorite drink or dessert? It’s not easy. But for life with Christ, whatever it is that we need to suffer in this life, it surely is worth it for eternal life with God!
10-13-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 13, 2020
St. Paul wrote, “in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” Gal_5:1-6
The Galatians thought the way to salvation was becoming a full fledged Jew. Paul taught otherwise. Didn’t matter who or what they were. If they believed in Jesus and followed His way, the Way of Love, they would find salvation.
Jesus tells the Pharisees, “Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” Lk_11:37-41
The way to righteousness, the way to salvation begins within you. It begins with love and ends with your expression of that love to others. God is Love and Jesus is God incarnate. He is the full expression of God’s love in the world! Follow Him!!!
10-12-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 12, 2020
(Our Lady of the Pillar)
St. Paul wrote, “For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm
and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” Gal_4:22-5:1
So, beloved, if you are truly looking for freedom from whatever or whoever enslaves you, look to Jesus. Know what He did for you. Learn how much God loves YOU! Discover the meaning of all those Old Testament stories. It was all about YOUR freedom. Find it. Embrace it. Then, share it!!! Jesus.
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P.S. In several weeks, if you live in the U.S.A., you will have the opportunity to decide your own future’s freedom. Study closely the alternatives and choose wisely. Ask yourself, in the past 4-years (save for this covid idocracy) how much have I really personally suffered? Pray on it. Study up on it. And vote your heart’s and God’s will! And not the media’s.
10-11-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 11, 2020
(28th Sunday Ordinary Time, A)
“I can do all things in him who strengthens me.” Phil_4:12-14,19-20
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our hearts, so that we may know what is the hope that belongs to our call. Eph_1:17-18
Jesus told a parable about a king who invited his special, chosen ones to join him in a banquet. But the invited guests all refused to come. So he sent his servants to invite everyone else. . . . When the king came in to meet the guests, he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. The king said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen. Mt_22:1-14
When our lives, beloved, are totally focused on Jesus (our life, our hope, our safety and our salvation), we can find the strength to endure and accomplish anything. He opens our eyes to know the Truth about life. And in doing this, we will never find ourselves in a situation without our wedding garment. Never find ourselves with unresolved sin, with unrepentant attitudes. God’s love will carry us through ANYTHING, when we stay Focused!
10-10-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 10, 2020
Continuing his discourse and defense, St. Paul wrote to the Galatians, “For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.” Gal_3:22-29
Today St. Paul gives the answer to a question I frequently ask our 5th graders, “Who are you?” And that answer is, “I am a child of God.” And if we are all children of God, then that makes us all “related” to one another. We are “all ONE in Christ Jesus!” And going one step further, St. Paul tells us that if we are all God’s children and in unity with one another and Jesus by our Faith, then we are also Abraham’s descendants and heirs to God’s promise of Blessing, Prosperity and Salvation. And that’s quite a mouth-full, a LIFE-full of Hope! AMEN?
AMEN!!!
10-09-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 9, 2020
(Ss. Denis, Bishop and Companions, Martyrs)
St. Paul wrote: “.. that no one is justified before God by the law is clear, for ‘the one who is righteous by faith will live.’” Gal_3:7-14
Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house.” . . .
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” . . .
“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.” Lk_11:15-26
Conflict resolution is not always easy, nor pleasant, because when strong emotions prevail, the listening is often muted, while the speaking is amplified, and the white dove of peace, truth and love – flies out the window to escape the resulting chaos.
This week we’ve been listening to the ongoing response of St. Paul to accusations made by the Galatians. Accusations that he and his teachings were not true.
And the reason for their accusations was because their Faith, as taught by Paul, was being challenged and adulterated by other people with their own agendas. People who insisted that the Gentile converts must become Jewish, with all of its Laws and customs, before they could ever be saved.
You see, those Galatian Gentiles were like the homeowners in Jesus’ parable, who were freed from the demons of their past by Paul. But their defense, the “herd immunity” of their new-found Faith, was not strong enough to refute their challengers. And, in the end, they fell victim to the latest ‘fad,’ instead of standing up against those false teachings that undermined their infant Faith in Jesus.
They were the “plundered palaces” overcome by a stronger opponent, the “cleaned-up house” reoccupied by more demons than they began with.
Jesus tells HIS accusers today, that “every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste.” For our God is not a God of division and hatred, but of unity and love.
And so we can say with absolute confidence, that wherever there is division and chaos, wherever there is war and hatred, wherever there is judgment and blame, there is also a void of God.
Jesus said “whoever is not WITH me is against me.” “And whoever does not gather with me, scatters.” By our baptisms, brothers and sisters, we have been united with Jesus and one another, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Our charge thereafter, is to keep these houses, these divine dwelling places of the Holy Spirit (our minds, hearts and souls) in constant touch with Jesus. And we do that through prayer, through the Sacraments, by sacred readings and music, and most importantly, through Community with one another.
Want to scare away a demon lurking at your door?
Just tell him, her or it – that you have Jesus, a whole army of saints, and a vibrant Church Community defending you!
Poof!
These dwelling places of the Holy Spirit, beloved, will NOT be overcome . . . when we live by Faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.
10-08-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 8, 2020
Jesus told a parable about a man asking his friend for some help with food to feed his visitor. It was late and the friend didn’t want to be bothered. Jesus concluded: I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Lk_11:5-13
Continuing His discourse on different aspects of prayer, Jesus gives His disciples a couple of humorous, yet sobering, allegories today. The first one, on persistence in prayer, flies in the face of another time (in Matthew’s Gospel, 6:7) when Jesus spoke of, “not babbling like the pagans, who think they will be heard because of their many words.” Because, He said, “Your Father knows what you need before you (even) ask Him.”
You see, one of the characteristics of the pagans, who didn’t believe in any particular god, was that they would recite long lists of divine names, hoping that, maybe one of them, would finally respond. This was not what Jesus meant by persistence in prayer. So, He wasn’t contradicting Himself, rather, He was putting emphasis on NOT giving up.
– Not giving up on – Hope,
– Not giving up on – our Faith.
– And not giving up on – the Love that God has for every one of us.
Yes, we may sometimes feel like we beat that “prayer-horse” to death-warmed-over. And it is in those times, that we just may need a little ‘change in tactic.’
Maybe the problem is not really out there, but in here (in our own hearts). And through our dogged persistence, we finally realize it. We finally realize that God loves us and never gives up on us, either. “God knows what we need, before we even ask Him!”
AND, Jesus affirmed that our Prayer will ALWAYS be answered. It may not be quite precisely, what WE thought we needed. But it will definitely be answered, as we saw a few days ago in the long-suffering story of Job, who, in the end, was rewarded double from everything he had lost – because of his steadfast Faith.
And, the same is possible for us, beloved!
As the Lord God said to Joshua, just before entering that foreign, Promised Land: “Be strong and steadfast. Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go!” Js_1:9 Just keep on praying!
10-07-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 7, 2020
(Our Lady of the Rosary)
St. Paul wrote, Brothers and sisters: After fourteen years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. I went up in accord with a revelation, and I presented to them the Gospel that I preach to the Gentiles – but privately to those of repute – so that I might not be running, or have run, in vain. Gal_2:1-2,7-14
After 14-years Paul finally went up to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles, to get himself “notarized.” All he had learned about the Faith up to that point was directly from Jesus, with a little help from the Holy Spirit and a man named Ananias. And yet, interestingly, Paul even found inconsistencies with the apostles faith, which he had no problem correcting. By the time that First Council in Jerusalem was complete, there were agreements with who preached to the Gentiles and whom to the Jews. As we read in the Book of Acts, eventually even Peter was sent to baptize the Gentile, Cornelius and his family. “It’s ALL good!”
And here we are, beloved, today: still believing, still in unison with one another (mostly), and still in love with our God (Father Son and Spirit) and our neighbor. How much better can it get!!!
10-06-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 6, 2020
(St. Bruno, Priest)
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works. Ps_139
What a glorious concept! What a glorious Fact! We are not alone. We are not forgotten! We count for something! God KNOWS us. He cares for us. He protects us when we allow him. We were created to enrich the world with a new beauty. And that beauty is US!
10-05-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 5, 2020
There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”
He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.” Lk_10:25-37
How do you read it? How do we interpret everything we hear and see today, beloved? Is it with the eyes of faith, the eyes of selfishness, or the eyes of self giving? Jesus felt that this scholar understood fully the answer of Love. For loving God with all our heart, being, strength and mind is about the best anyone can love. And since God created us for love, then it’s just as important to love God as it is to love our neighbor, whom He created, even when that neighbor is not as lovable as we would like them to be. Keep on striving for that whole being love, beloved. And you will find a much more peace-filled life. And a much more rewarding life to come!
10-04-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 4, 2020
(The Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi)
(27th Sunday Ordinary Time, A)
Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you. Phil_4:6-9
PEACE in Christ!
10-03-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 3, 2020
Jesus said to His disciples, “do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Lk_10:17-24
Rejoice, because as hard as WordPress tries to discourage us from using this miserable blog page, we can still get through it. It may begin to get totally different from anything we’ve posted before October 2020. But the Lord is in control here not the twisted contrivers of this web provider.
Keep us in prayer beloved. As we muddle through the ugly new.
10-02-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 2, 2020
(Holy Guardian Angels)
Jesus said to His disciples, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” Mt_18:1-5,10
. . . and they’re protecting those same “little ones,” whether they’re 90-years old or 2-months. We are not to despise anyone, especially those who are a little different from us!
10-01-20 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
October 1, 2020
Job said, “But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust; Whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another’s, shall behold him, And from my flesh I shall see God; my inmost being is consumed with longing.” Jb_19:21-27
Jesus said to the 72 missionary disciples, “Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.” Lk_10:1-12
It’s often called “the dark night of the soul,” a phrase penned by St. John of the Cross. It’s what happens when we physically and spiritually lose total sight of God in our lives. Maybe it’s initiated by the loss of a loved one, or a job, or even, like Job, everything that mattered to him in life, including his health.
And when it happens to us we tend to ask ourselves, “Why?” “What have I done or not done to deserve THIS?” “Why have You abandoned me, O God?” “I thought you were on my side.” “I thought that if I lived this righteous life, that You asked of me, it would make me invincible.” And yet, I see that most of the prophets had gone through that same feelings of abandonment at one time or another in their lives. Our holy Saints, like St. Francis and St. Teresa of Calcutta and St. Therese of Lisieux all suffered this “dark knight.”
And yet, when we listen to those words of Job that we heard today, we discover an internal spark of hope, a deep acknowledgment that God really is still there. And regardless of what the world throws at me, “my inmost being is consumed with longing” with love and with hope in Him!
Jesus sent His disciples out to “the wolves” today with nothing more than His Word and His Love. Can that Word and Love carry me through the unexpected dark nights of life: the pandemics, the fires, the storms, the losses? Is my love for Him so deep that despite it all, I will find my way back? Is my longing to see His Face so intense that I’d even be willing to die a martyr’s death to be reunited with Him?
We’ve been given uncountable numbers of gifts in the examples of the Saints, beloved, especially in the example of how to live life simply, “doing the ordinary with extraordinary love” as St. Therese, today’s saint, would say. We’ve seen the martyrs and the heroes, the workaholic Martha’s and the laid back Mary’s, the persecuted prophets, the beggars, the martyrs, the lepers and the authoritarians, and they all had one thing in common: an intense love for God and all of His Creation.
If every day we would just crack open the blinds of our darkened souls a little bit more, to let in this enormous love of God for us and we for Him, to let in the true light of life, then we might just be astounded at how that love that will flow back from others into us, and from all of us into the world.
Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is at hand. We HAVE been vindicated, beloved! And now it’s time to LIVE in the bright (and simple) daylight of the Lord! St. Therese, pray for us!
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Happy October, beloved!
God’s blessings!
Please come visit September’s Daily Mass Quotes too…
Link below.
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EARLIER MONTH’S QUOTES can be found
in monthly subcategories of – “Whispers“
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Link to Next Month’s Whispers
Link back to Whispers to the Wind
Link to Saint of the Day
(also in Time page, under Liturgical Seasons section)
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Whispers to the Wind 